1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soluble aggregate of allergen proteins having reduced antigenicity, an immunological tolerance-inducing agent containing the soluble aggregate and a production method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Allergic diseases such as pollen allergy are diseases leading to generic or local disorders, which are caused by excessive reaction of the body's immune system to proteins generally called allergens (hereinafter, allergen proteins) that have invaded the body. In particular, 20% or more of Japanese people are suffering from Japanese cedar pollen allergy, causing a severe social problem.
These diseases are based on immune reactions inherent to human, and there is no established effective therapy. However, there are various possible therapies, including the method of eliminating allergen proteins and the symptomatic treatment with an anti-inflammatory agent described in JP-A No. 2005-34046, the method of reducing allergen proteins with a protein-denaturing agent described in JP-A No. 2005-104847, the desensitization therapy of suppressing allergic reactions by injecting a trace amount of allergen protein several times, as described in JP-A No. 2002-249442, and the like.
On the other hand, the present inventors earlier made an invention concerning a food composition that was prepared by modifying and coating the antigen structures of the allergen proteins therein with a polysaccharide by the Maillard reaction under dry conditions, from the viewpoint of allowing weakened allergen for oral administration, as described in JP-A No. 2006-340658.